Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman addressed the Board of Supervisors last Monday in Covelo on the status of marijuana grows in the Mendocino National Forest.

Allman has been pushing large eradication efforts in the forest since 2010, along with five other counties, including Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Tehama and Trinity, that partially share the MNF area. The multi-year busts, named Operation Full Court Press, involved removing illegal marijuana plants in the forest, and removing piping or fertilizers which were used to facilitate growing.

"Recently, our expert was not able to find any marijuana plants in the National Forest," Allman said. "It doesn't mean there weren't any; we just didn't locate any at that time."

Allman said it appeared that marijuana growers have now left the forests and are setting up grows in their backyards.

He recalled in 2010 at a previous Board of Supervisors meeting in Covelo, eight concerned citizens came forward during public expression to talk about safety in the forest, and the number of marijuana grows happening. Three of those people said they were shot at while visiting the forest, according to Allman. It was then Allman, along with the eradication teams in the area and MNF officials, decided a plan had to be devised going forward.

During the second phase of the operation in August 2011, authorities seized 632,058 marijuana plants, 1,986 pounds of processed marijuana, $28,031 U.S. currency, 38 weapons, 20 vehicles, and arrested 132 people, according to a 2011 statement from the MCSO.